Author's Note: The dialogue between Remus and Tonks is taken from the Remus Lupin section of Pottermore where Rowling wrote of this moment.
QLFC - Round 9 - Nymphadora Tonks - (quote) Nothing more complicated than learning lines and putting on a costume -Morgan Freeman; (dialogue) "It's like a beehive in here."
Hogwarts Assignment - Women's History - Task 1 - Write about someone having to prove themselves in a work environment
GGE - Dramione Forever - Remus/Tonks
Feline Fair - British Shorthair - Write about a Hufflepuff
Sewing 101 - Map; Regret; Forest Green
Insane House Challenge - 37. Nymphadora Tonks
365 prompts - 309 - (time) Dusk
Word Count: 1251
Prove Your Mettle
As she looked around the table, Nymphadora felt her irritation stir. She struggled to control her rising temper and to keep the frustration from showing on her face or, more noticeably, on her hair. She looked around the battered kitchen, the cracked and broken tiles, the stained worktops. She looked at the map spread across the table, held down with all sorts of random paper weights. She looked at the people — mostly male — sat around her, her eyes snagging on a visibly worried but determined Molly Weasley.
"You surely don't understand the danger—"
"I think you're being short-sighted—"
"For Merlin's sake, where are your backbones? Hiding down here in the dark—"
"Enough!" she shouted eventually, slamming her hands on the table and pushing herself up. Nymphadora's hair turned a shocking shade of red.
The argumentative men — briefly shocked into silence — turned towards her. "It's like a beehive in here!" Tonks continued in a more even tone. "You're all buzzing around each other so loud no one can be heard and getting nothing done. All wrapped up in your own self-importance and believing that you alone should be listened to. Ridiculous."
Alastor Moody scoffed loudly at his young protege, dismissing her with a look. "The arrogance of youth. As if a young woman would have the knowledge and understanding to deal with a problem like this. You are lucky to have a seat at this table!"
"That is uncalled for, Alastor!" Molly piped up, waggling a wooden spoon at him. "She may be young, but I do not see what her gender has to do with anything."
Mad-Eye opened his mouth again to reply but was cut off.
"She is right, Alastor," interrupted Albus Dumbledore in his quiet, even manner. His authority in this place and on any matter was so absolute that nobody breathed, never mind interrupted. He turned those piercing eyes on Tonks and peered at her over the rim of his half-moon spectacles. "What do you suggest, Miss Tonks?"
Nymphadora felt some of the fight leave her as all eyes turned towards her — this time expecting a logical answer. Her hair shifted, fading from the vibrant red to a dull orange/yellow colour like water cascading down a rock face. "W-well, we can't charge in there. It would be far too dangerous and we aren't even sure this is the target we need. However, ignoring the situation and doing nothing would be equally as pointless."
"Thank you for summarising our discussion, Miss Tonks," Snape drawled this time, rolling his eyes beneath his dank hair. "That is very insightful."
"So…" she continued, loudly, "there is only one logical option to solve those problems. We have to conduct surveillance on the target to ascertain whether or not we need to bring in or even eliminate them."
Nymphadora made herself stand tall and called on every big word she could think of as she delivered her proposition.
"A wise decision, Miss Tonks." Dumbledore slowly nodded at her.
"Wise perhaps but we do not have the time or resources for something like that!" Sirius interjected sharply. "Who amongst us is going to waste the amount of time necessary for this? I know I wouldn't be volunteering for it." His words held a bitter tinge, confined as he was to this gloomy old house.
"I'll do it!" Tonks declared, feeling her hair shimmer back to an angry red, but she was immediately surprised to hear her words instantly echoed. Her eyes shot to the shadows on the other side of the table, where a calm Remus Lupin stood against the wall. Her heart flipped a little as their eyes met and she fought to keep her hair from going a rosy pink.
"Well then, there you have it, Mr Black. We have our volunteers." Dumbledore smiled a secret little smile, his eyes flitting between the two.
X
"I'm beginning to regret this," Tonks grumbled a night later as she crouched in the cold mud. They had cast a warming charm, enough to keep the chill from around them, but the day's rain had already done its worst to the grass across the road from their target's house, and no amount of charms would take away the icky feeling. "I wish I'd just suggested immediate infiltration instead; at least we'd be warmer."
Remus cast her an exasperated smile, but his eyes were warm. He was also cold and uncomfortable, but years of scrabbling around in the mud had made him accustomed to the feel of it under his paws. "Warmer perhaps, but certainly in more danger."
"Pah," she scoffed. "What's dangerous about that? It's nothing more complicated than learning lines and putting on a costume!" She gestured to her hair, which was currently a dark shade of forest green to blend in with their surroundings. "I came top of the class for disguises, I'll have you know."
Remus chuckled and the sound brought warmth to Tonks' cheeks. "I can't imagine why," he drawled sarcastically. "Well, immediate infiltration would certainly win you points with Sirius; he's not one for caution."
Tonks nodded sagely, shifting her position again. As she did so, the mud shifted beneath her and her supporting knee collapsed. With a muffled squeak, she began to fall sideways, only just managing to catch herself before colliding with Remus. When she looked up, they were nose to nose.
She had not realised before that there were golden flecks in his brown eyes, or noticed the tiny but jagged scar that cut up from the corner of his lips. She wondered how he had gotten it and realised that she had been staring — neither had moved a muscle — and it was suddenly stiflingly hot.
Embarrassed at her blatant reaction, Nymphadora pushed backwards until there was distance between them and fixed her eyes on the house. She searched for a neutral topic. "Yes, well. He's still handsome, isn't he, even after Azkaban?"
Silence reigned for so long that Tonks felt she had to glance over at him. Gone was the warm, friendly Remus she was used to, replaced instead by a cold and shuttered face — the warm brown eyes almost black. He grunted, "Well, that's hardly a surprise; he always got the women. I suppose you've fallen for the bad boy charm as well." The bitterness of his tone was unmistakable as he glared across the street.
It shouldn't have triggered such a reaction, really. But in that moment, the frustration and longing that they had been dancing around for the last year flared into hot anger and the roots of her hair blazed scarlet. "You'd know perfectly well who I've fallen for if you weren't too busy feeling sorry for yourself to notice."
It must've been the venom in her voice that made his eyes shoot to hers, but she registered the surprise there — still hidden beneath annoyance. They stared at each other for a long hard moment before Remus opened his mouth to speak.
The slamming of a door interrupted him and Tonks snapped her head back around to see their target taking off down the street.
She swore. "Quick, we need to follow him. If he gets to an Apparition point before we get a tag on him, then it's pointless. I can't afford to screw this up."
And she pushed off out of their hiding spot without giving him the chance to tell her how stupid she was for loving him.
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